AQUATIC FEEDING BY MOOSE IN SWEDEN - WITH IMPLICATIONS CONCERNING SODIUM

In Fennoscandia there had been no scientific reports of moose feeding on aquatic plants, other than one record of emergents found in rumens at Grismö, Sweden. From a systematic survey at that site, we found in mid-some are that some moose were eating some emergent aquatics, primarily Menyanthes trifoliata, in bog-mat wetlands. The selection by moose of both aquatic species and of feeding sites appeared positively related to sodium availability. On the other hand, moose had ready access to salt stones, and there was a negative relation between seasonal use and seasonal accumulation of sodium in the plants being taken; thus sodium did not appear to be the primary objective. The relationship between sodium appetite and potassium levels in primary forage is discussed